Anyone hit a deer while riding?

Well, I was out riding in the woods, with a buddy the other day, and afterwards, I was heading home on a dirt road. I was about fifty yards ahead of my buddy, when I heard him yell, "Watch out!!!".

Suddenly, three deer came charging out onto the road at me, from the left side. They seemed to be in a hurry. Unfortunately, I was right in the path of the first one. He suddenly booted it and bounded across my path just a couple feet in front of my bike. If he had not accelerated, I would have hit him. The next one was a couple strides back, saw me, and accelerated to cross about fifteen feet ahead. The last one leaped across the road just behind my bike.

It was rather crazy for a few seconds as deer seemed suddenly to be leaping all around me, and my head was swivelling all around trying to see what was going on.

A couple days later, I was riding with my son, deep in the woods. I was booting it on some singletrack and just rolled right by a small group of deer, standing about eight feet from the side of the trail, in the trees. When I got past about twenty yards, I stopped and called back to my son, "Do you see the deer?" He was just passing them, concentrating on the trail, and did not even notice them in the trees. The deer did not even flinch when we passed. They did not move an inch. He stopped next to me and we looked at them from about twenty yards, and they still did not move. We rode on and left them standing in the same spot.

I see deer all the time when riding.

I have even had one running ahead of me on the trail. In that case, I stopped so as not to make the deer think I was chasing it. When I stopped, it stopped and looked back at me as if he was playing with me and was waiting for me to catch up. When I started up again, he started again, and I then I took a different fork in the trail.

I am guessing that bicycle deer collisions are very rare, since bicycles do not typically go as fast as motor vehicles, so deer have more reaction time. Still, with the deer getting pretty tame around here, and the deer population going up, the possibility of a bicycle-deer collision seems to be increasing. (no hunting allowed, and people have deer feeders)

Has anyone ever acutally had a collision with a deer when riding a bicycle?

Nope, but I've had a very close call

I was riding on a popular downhill a few years ago just before sunset and saw a fast moving beige object in my periferal vision through some scrub oak. My first reaction was MOUNTAIN LION!!! because it looked like it was on an intercept path but I was just as scared with my second reaction when a deer ran out of the bush and crossed the trail less than 10 feet in front of me. I would guess I was going about 20mph at the time on very loose pea gravel so there is no way I could have stopped in time had he been going any slower or came any closer. Further down the trail, I saw another 6-8 deer. It's not uncommon to see deer around here, but I was surprised to see so many on the most popular downhill in town.

yeah

Not me but back in high school in PA I had a friend who raced road bikes. He was out on a training ride and going downhill at about 30-35 mph when a deer jumped in front of him. He had really bad road rash and if I remember correctly he also sprained a wrist or had some other arm injury.

I'll never forget him saying "I was never too into hunting but I think I may get a deer license this season".

Riding around Lake Chabot about two weeks ago I nearly ran over a doe. I came around a corner with my lights blazing (helmet and bar). I saw the mother and the doe and they saw me. I rang my bell and they scooted across the trail to climb up the embankment. I turned my head to keep an eye on them, which also turned my helmet light. Suddenly the doe turns around and gets just to the left of my front wheel. I started grabbing fistfuls of disc brakes. The entire bike was wobbling pretty good. I'm tryin like heck to keep the bike straight and let the doe go where it wants. All turned out good for both, thankfully.

But later on the way home, it looks like Nature was bent on having something die that night as I hit possum. The poor creature at least went squarely under my tire so it didn't suffer any.

Education Coordinator for Bicycle Trails Council of the East Baywww.btceb.org
Help us support open and multi-use trails.

No, but almost. I was riding along and came right up on one bed down next to the trail. It sprang up when I was about 5' away and ran the opposite direction. If it would have turned the other way we would have collided hard. Scared the crapola out of me.

Early morning on a foggy trail I was doing this stunt for the first time. Very sketchey section where you jump from one rock to the other and down a real step section. I have watched many people bail and get hurt on this section. I have even fallen on the steep section without doing the stunt. Anyway I get the courage and hit the stunt at speed. I have a rough landing and start the steep part when a deer comes out of the bushes. He sees me and tries to turn but his body hits me and sends me flying. My buddy is just laughing. I think to myself...damm I try it for the first time and nail it and still go down. Great story though

the trick is ENJOYING YOUR LIFE EACH DAY, don't waste them away wishing for better days

Good stories, has anyone ever come close to hitting any other critters out on the trails?

Wild Turkeys seem to thrive out in some parts of Northern California, and will just seemingly sit on the trail and are in no rush to get out of your way.....Always hit a nice fat turkey a few days before Thanksgiving

I almost hit a bull moose last year at Snowbasin. He was across the trail with his head in a bush. I came around the corner and scared him so bad that he yanked his head out of the bush with such force that he fell on his butt right on the trail. There I was five feet from a bull moose and I was scared and cracking up at the same time. I didn't know if he would get up and try to trash me or not. Fortunately he got up and ran away.

Saw a deer on a forest preserve trail once. It stood right in the middle of my path an just kinda looked around. I slowed down, and I could tell he saw me approaching. He looked at me. I looked him. He looked at me and lowered his fully-antlered head in my direction. I looked at him. He didn't move, and I saw a doe and a baby eating grass closesly to him on the trail. Fugured if we were to collide, he'd probably win. I left on a side trail. I think he smirked at me. Next time I bring a shotgun. Bastard.

---
If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever.
Is that good news?

sort of...ran into a group (herd?) of deer on a forest trail last year, had to turn off, went into the trees but caught a spoke in tree limb and flipped face first into some mud. Missed the deer but 2 of them had to jump over me as they ran off. Hoof missed my nose by an inch.

Geese

Just this last weekend, I was riding along the river bottoms in Mnpls and came around a corner to meet two geese and their chicks. Right in the middle of the trail, about 5 feet away from me. I just waited for them to waddle off of the trail while the parents hissed at me. Earlier on the same ride I had stopped short of hitting a deer that was just standing on the trail by about 4 ft. I came to a complete stop, the deer looked over its shoulder, stared at me for a moment then slowly walked away. Gotta love disc brakes.

Almost

Originally Posted by old_dude

Has anyone ever acutally had a collision with a deer when riding a bicycle?

old_dude

Yeah i was side by side with a big doe, and had she turned left she would've crossed my path. it was wild and i was coming around this corner fast and it boom DEER she started up running and gruntin' , and maybe two and a half maybe three feet to the right of the trail. thank goodness she split to the right into the woods! could've been ugly!

Almost nailed a bear cub last year. The thing ran right under my front tire. My biggest fear is a mad mom. So in no more than a tenth of a second I rode faster than I have ever ridden in my life, because I was at the bottom of the next climb. I never did see the mother. But riding through that area always spooked me from then on.

Last week I came out of a clearing and blasted four big male turkeys into space.

Almost...

I see them constantly where I ride...

I was riding along a tree line at dusk one time and there were 4 or 5 of them in the open area. When I came along I startled them and they darted for the tree line...right AT ME! One missed me by about 4 feet, I felt the breeze when he ran by!

I usually yell when I see them around and they tend to run away from your voice. "HEY DEER, GIT OUT DA WAY I'M COMIN' TROO!"

But what is it with the "Suicide" Squirrels - for some unknown reason they'll wait & scoot right in front of your tire. It's kinda sad to see a little twitching squirrel. Am I the only one whose noticed this?

A large, beautiful deer once bounded across the straightaway just when I was shifting into the big ring. It wasn't in danger of being hit since it was at the beginning of that section, but it was only a few yards away and simply magnificent. Plenty of deer around, probably will happen one of these days!

Suicide squirrels......I was headed for the IMBA meeting a couple of weeks ago, driving on a stretch of road leading into the park, when a squirrel shot across and under my wheels before I could hit the brakes. I heard the thump, then later saw it lying on its back to the side. No blood or guts, thankfully at least it was a quick death!

On the trail, it's the chipmunks who love to play chicken, those little bastards.

"We sat outside the dentist, tooting a horn on the guy's bike."-overheard in the Underground

Came very close last fall. I was doing about 30mph down my driveway and a buck shot in from of me. It was streched out like a greyhound racing. It was as if life slowed down and I saw all details. I was about a foot away from its hindquarters. Even since then I ride a little slower down that hill.
Dan C.

i see deer quite often around here, and i've spooked quite a few in my day. Never have come close to hitting one, i think i'd rather hit a deer than an elk, bear, or cougar though. Which leads me to wondering why in the hell can't you hunt deer in your neck of the woods, which i'm assuming is the East Coast where there are no natural predators around to eat the overpopulation?

Good stories, has anyone ever come close to hitting any other critters out on the trails?

Wild Turkeys seem to thrive out in some parts of Northern California, and will just seemingly sit on the trail and are in no rush to get out of your way.....Always hit a nice fat turkey a few days before Thanksgiving

I ran over a lizard this evening... actually, I'm a little bummed about it. Mainly because I was in the process of slowing down because a hiker was coming up the singletrack. When I noticed the lizard, it was too late to stop and I wasn't going fast enough to bunny hop it.

Other critters crossing the trail tonight: a loud, squawking wild turkey and a gray fox. Didn't run them over, though.

I saw a fox and 4 fox cubs (is that what a baby fox is called?) near the end of a ride the other day. I was pretty amazed, never seen much other than deer and people's dogs back there. Its just a thin sliver of forest between a small river and a bunch of developments. Most of the trail is a sewer access road or something. There's a bunch of those big concrete things with manhole covers on them along the trail.

I had a coyote dart out a few yards in front of me just last week. I wasn't ever afraid that I would hit it, but it was a cool encounter nonetheless. On the same ride, I saw a huge hawk light down in the scrub just off the trail to my right and grab some unfortunately little critter for dinner.

Only ever hit my bro's dog but...

I've never had the misfortune of hitting any wild critters besides my bro's dog (he was fine, it was in a parkin lot) but I've had lotsa weird animal experiences. I ride in a conservation area in central Vermont and I've seen 3 or 4 coyotes cross the trail in front of me. The 4th i wasn't sure about, cuz it was getting dark. It coulda been a big fox or cat of some kind. I've ridden right up on a bull moose once who was slurping in a swamp next to the trail. I actually heard it first! LOL but then I saw him look at me from about 20ft away, and when he didn't run, I figured he was gonna press the issue, so I turned 180 and went back and took the other fork. My bike is tough, but no need to tangle with 800lbs of angry animal.

Best of all...I've had the extreme pleasure of following a Red Tailed hawk for almost a mile down the singletrack behind my house. It just flew down in front of me from above, and would fly for about 100ft and then land on a branch. I stopped to let it get away, but it seemed like it was waiting for me, so I started riding real slow. It would fly up ahead to where the trail bent to one side or the other and then light on another branch, almost like it was waiting for me. We kept up the leap-frog game for almost a mile. Then when we came to a river crossing, it headed upstream and sat on a branch and watched me as I rode up and stopped to stare. It then flew right at me (I almost freaked and fell off the bridge) and passed about 15ft over my head and was gone into a pine thicket. I had to just sit there for a few minutes and convince myself that what just happened was real! Definitely the coolest ride I'd had in a while. Too bad I was alone, and my camera was at home.

Oh, and once I think I was being stalked by a Predator, like the kind that hunts Schwarzeneggers; but I was goin dern fast that day :P

Yes and no

Funny story.
Daughter and I are riding in Oak Mountain State Park in Alabama.
Deer are everywhere, like rats in a barn.
She asks while we are riding, "Dad has anyone ever hit a deer while Mountain Biking?"
"I suppose it has happened somewhere before." I replied.
We just pulled off the trail onto the road to go back to our car, 40-50 ft of woods seperate us from the bike trail we just left. We are on the road, the deer (doe) is in the tree line and other bikers are on the trail, they spook the deer the deer leaps out of the woods, right into my daughters front wheel, glacing blow not enough to knock her over just change her path. Scared the bejeebies out of her. All I could think was how I was going to explain to the wife how her precious got smacked down by a deer.This happened as she as she was again asking about bike/deer encounters. So no, never have hit a deer, but a deer hit, brushed, my daughter.

Now, ever had a snake attack your bike. My friends daughter has. Same state park, I'm riding clean up, (last in line). Good technical rock garden coming up, I see friends daughter throw her bike to the ground , turn and run back towards me screaming something, passes my daughter, whos on her bike screaming. No longer the tranquil woods scene. I know something is wrong as friends daughter loves her bike and would never throw it into a rock garden. Anyway get up there to her bike and it has a snake (Gartor probably) rapped around seat mast and crank, (figure it was trown up by front wheel) and it is angry. Tried that Crocodile Hunter technique with the bushy stick to pick up snake by the tail, MAN THAT TECHNIQUE WORKS REAL WELL, give the pi$$ed snake something else to bite.
Let the snake go, calmed the girls and then saw 4 turkeys, and about a dozen more deer, and untold amounts of squirrels with suicide tendencies.
Good time..Good times.

Was nite riding with a couple of friends, husband and wife, the guy gets a mechanical on a climb, his wife and I are maybe 10 feet away, chatting while he fixes his bike, we have turned off our lights to save juice, we suddenly hear a crashing sound coming right at us, she freaks and literally jumps into me/my arms and screams like Friday the 13th. a deer flies through the air, between us and her husband, crashing through the underbush, it's only a shadow, between us and his light which is still on so he can work on his ride. it was maybe two feet from us as it sailed through the air. All three of us almost had coronaries.

Another friend of mine hit a deer on a road ride, at about 25-30 MPH. he ended up in the ER, the deer ran off into the woods. Totalled his road bike, two wrecked wheels, saddle, bars, etc. Needed a complete rebuild.

Was riding in GJ Colorado, on the Corral/little creek loop. through a pasture, and a cow spooks in front of us, chooses to run away fron us, but ON the singletrack, we're both yellin' and whoopin', but this freakin' dumb cow sprints like it's the Olympics for about a 1/4 mile right- I mean 5 feet - in front of us before it finally peels off into the pasture.

A chipmunk spooked and ran in front of me once, between my wheels, just missed my back wheel. I didn't have time to do anything but hope he made it, The guy behind me thought it was toast, he saw it come out of the woods and through my bike from before and after the near collision. I only caught it in my peripheral vision.

Last summer my riding buddy was out for a twilighter with some other riders and as the second-to last rider passed The Spot, the freaked out deer jumped at him, landed on his back, tore him up pretty good and broke the guy's collar bone. Ruined his summer. (And his bike!)

Yep...sorta.

I was riding a Yamaha Fazer that I owned in 1989 with a group of friends, up on Hwy 1, just north of Bodega Bay in California.
I was enjoying myself, when a dear ran down from the uphill side of the Highway towards my good friend Art. The dear turned back in the nick of time. I let out a breath thinking "that was close!"
Next thing I remember is seeing; black, blue ( the sky ) , black, blue then the asphalt. I was now sliding down the road at about 50 mph . The next thing I see, is me sliding into oncoming traffic towards a pickup truck and then into a ditch full of mud on the opposite side of the road from where I started.
I didn't even know what had happened to me. As I was recovering from the impact, dizzy and feeling like I was going to hurl big time, a friend explained that the dear that had turned away from my friend Art, had turned back around on the hillside and jumped right onto the front fender of my Yamaha. He said the impact sent me flying head over heels, which explained the fuzzy memory of black, blue, black, blue. My bike then landed (after going airborn) onto the sliding body of the dear and slid to a halt about 100 ft. down the road.
Being that my bike landed on the dear, it only got a bent shift lever and a scraped up clutch master cylinder housing on the bars!!!
The dear was toast. It looked okay at first, but when we flipped it over it was ground past the bone on its torso.
I then recovered enough to start kicking the dead dear and yelling things I can't print here to the great amusement of my friends, who like Japanese tourists started to photo document the whole scene. I then noticed an odd smell. I looked around me and relized I was totally covered on my left side with dear dung...talk about adding insult to injury !
My friend Art, jury rigged my bike and we actually finished the ride. Thank god it started raining, and the dear was washed off me. Never before, was I happy, that I was stuck in the rain on a motorcycle.

Not a deer but I came close to hitting a black bear on the Alpine trail a few years ago. I was riding next to some brush when something started crashing through the brush parallel to me (on my right) the trail makes a hard-right just a little further ahead so I slowed down and when I got to the corner it crossed the trail right in front of me.

Rattle Snake

Ran right over the center of a rattler stretched across a local trail a couple of years ago. Didnt see him until I was on top of him. I was hoping I didn't kick him up with the tires. Kept going for about 50 yards before slowing down to look back. He seemed pretty mad so I didn't stick around. We see them pretty regularly around here, but that was the first time to hit one (and hopefully the last).

i went riding with the family about a year ago. i stayed back helping my mom adjust her seat, and my little ( 8 year old) brother went ahead down the hill and around a blind corner, I helped my mom and started down the hill, went around the corner and pulled a sick endo, hopped over my brother (who for some reason turned around and started halling a$$ the other way) and kicked him in the face. My mom came down the hill, asked my brother, who was bleeding out of his mouth "what happend?", and he said "peter kicked me" I have never seen my mom so mad in my life.

I got a weird one for yah...

This guy I work with told me this story. He comes home and hears all this crashing around going on in the basement. So at first, he thinks he'll go down and check it out. But he thinks better of it, and decides if it's a drugged out criminal, he wants no part of it. So he takes the wife, leaves the house and calls the cops.

The cops come, hear the noises and call for back-up. They go down SWAT-team like and the first thing they see is blood. Everywhere. They know the whole family is out of the house, so all kinds of weird thoughts go through their minds. Satanic Cult? Druggies stabbing each other? Animal sarafice? All of the sudden, this deer comes crashing out of the laundry room. The cops go nuts. One of them aims his hand gun and comes thisclose to shooting the thing. The deer flys around the room and the cops retreat back upstairs.

They call animal services who show up with the tranquilizer guns. Again, the whole team goes down and this time the AC guy gets off a shot and hits the deer. Again they retreart upstairs.The thing goes screaming through the basement and they wait for the tranq to take effect. They go back down and they are about to haul the thing out, but they realize the deer is dead. It had bled to death.

Turns out the guy has one of those oversized escape windows in the basement that has a big plastic cover over it. He also has a big berry bush next to his house. The deer was trying to eat the berries and fell through the plastic cover over the window well. The window was open, but in his thrashing to get out, the deer cut his leg on the window and got through the screen and wound up in the basement. I saw the pictures of the totally trashed basement covered with blood and the thing laying on the ground with it's tounge hanging out like the hunting pictures you see. The animal control guy asks if he wanted the deer, but he said no. So they donated it to the local homeless shelter, who butchered it, ground it up, and served in chili.

True Story.

Dan

I'm as bad as the Worst. But, thank God, I'm also as good as the Best.

close call and the most incredible leap I've ever seen...

I was riding on the local MUT last season when I turned a sharp corner and came face-to-face with three deer: a doe and a fawn to my left, and a big buck on my right... The doe and the fawn were on the top of a steep embankment that went down sharply from the trail to a creek about 30 ft below...the buck was right up against a 7ft high chain link fence that bordered a farmer's property... as I came around the corner, the doe and the fawn sampered down towards the creek...the buck stared at me and for a second, I thought he was going to charge me...then, from a complete standstill, he leaped OVER the chain link fence!!!! It was freakin incredible!

Dog "old_dude" you just have all kinds of fun out in the woods. First sexually agressive dogs ( Sexually assaulted on the trail ) now psycho suicidal deer. Were you wearing a "crotch guard" in case the deer was wanting to get frisky?